I am reading the new [name]Haruki[/name] Murakami book, IQ84, and my husband and I
have since become enamored with the name “Tengo”. In Japanese, the
meaning is [name]Heavenly[/name] (Ten) and Our/My (Go): 天” Ten-go. I’m told the
meaning is similar in Chinese. In Spanish, it means “I have.” My
husband is Korean and I am Jewish (Russian/Hungarian), so it would be
ethnically unrelated to either of us. Our last name is “[name]Lee[/name]”. I am wondering what reaction
people would have to this name and/or if anyone else has considered
it. We can’t seem to find it on any other baby naming sites/forums. [name]TIA[/name].
I immediately jumped to the Spanish “I have.” It’s very weird and kind of ridiculous to me, like naming a kid “[name]Feel[/name]” or “Own.” Tengo is one of the most commonly used words in Spanish, and I think anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the language will jump to that.
It’s a cool sounding name in theory, but I also think of “tango” when I hear it. I also think it blends into the last name [name]Lee[/name] if you say it aloud.
Tengo [name]Lee[/name] sounds too much like “tangly” when said aloud. 
It’s not the worst, but it’s odd enough I’d encourage you to put it in the middle or figure out how to get it as a nickname ([name]Theodore[/name] [name]George[/name], [name]Ted[/name] [name]Geo[/name] = Tengo?). There’s a band [name]Yo[/name] La Tengo, I thought of that immediately. [name]Do[/name] you have / plan on other children? If you do have, I would hope they would have names that somehow fit with Tengo well enough to not be weird. If you don’t but plan on them, this would set a very specific tone (unless you decide not to worry about that).
So, I think it’s wonderful it’s so meaningful to you, but think the middle name is the best spot for an odd meaningful name.
All best!
Honestly, I think of the similarly named line of Adult Pleasure toys, Tenga.
I am a native Spanish speaker and have been reading IQ84 (reading it in English btw). I have not been able to get used to the name Tengo because its meaning in Spanish. I just find it weird naming someone as a verb conjugated in present-tense. Anyways I arrived to this page trying to figure out the meaning in Japanese. it’s a great name from that point of view.